Compare the2023 Chrysler PacificaVS 2023 Chevrolet Traverse

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and middle seat shoulder belts of the Chrysler Pacifica are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The Chevrolet Traverse doesn’t offer height-adjustable front seat belts.

The Chrysler Pacifica has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Traverse doesn’t offer knee airbags.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Pacifica has standard Rear Park Assist with Stop that uses rear sensors to monitor and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a rear collision. The Traverse doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

The Pacifica has a standard blind spot warning system which uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them. A system to reveal vehicles in the Traverse’s blind spot costs extra.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Pacifica has a standard rear cross-path warning system, which uses sensors in the rear bumper to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. Rear cross-path warning costs extra on the Traverse.

Both the Pacifica and the Traverse have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, available all wheel drive and around view monitors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Chrysler Pacifica is safer than the Chevrolet Traverse:

	Pacifica	Traverse
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	168	216
Neck Compression	56 lbs.	77 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	196	333
Chest Compression	.4 inches	.9 inches
Neck Injury Risk	25%	35.2%
Neck Stress	117 lbs.	128 lbs.
Neck Compression	51 lbs.	51 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Chrysler Pacifica is safer than the Chevrolet Traverse:

	Pacifica	Traverse
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Abdominal Force	149 lbs.	161 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	66	134
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	13 inches	14 inches

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Instrumented handling tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and analysis of its dimensions indicate that the Pacifica is 3.4% to 6% less likely to roll over than the Traverse.

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, its standard vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, its standard vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its standard headlight’s “Acceptable” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Pacifica its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2022, a rating granted to only 92 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Traverse has not been fully tested, yet.

Warranty

The Pacifica’s corrosion warranty is unlimited miles longer than the Traverse’s (unlimited vs. 100,000 miles).

Reliability

To reliably power the ignition and other systems and to recharge the battery, the Pacifica has a standard 180-amp alternator (220-amp - Pacifica optional). The Traverse’s 170-amp alternator isn’t as powerful.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Pacifica running on electricity gets better mileage than the Traverse:

			MPGe
Pacifica
	FWD	Hybrid Electric Motor	87 city/77 hwy
Traverse
			MPG
	FWD	3.6 DOHC V6	18 city/27 hwy
	AWD	3.6 DOHC V6	17 city/25 hwy

On the EPA test cycle the Pacifica running its gasoline engine gets better mileage than the Traverse:

			MPG
Pacifica
	FWD	3.6 V6 Hybrid	29 city/30 hwy
		3.6 DOHC V6	19 city/28 hwy
Traverse
	FWD	3.6 DOHC V6	18 city/27 hwy

The Pacifica Hybrid can travel with zero emissions for 32 miles. The Traverse can’t move without running its internal combustion engine.

Regenerative brakes improve the Pacifica Hybrid’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The Traverse doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

Transmission

The Pacifica Hybrid has a standard continuously variable transmission (CVT). With no “steps” between gears, it can keep the engine at the most efficient speed for fuel economy, or keep it at its peak horsepower indefinitely for maximum acceleration. The Traverse doesn’t offer a CVT.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the Pacifica’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Traverse:

	Pacifica	Pacifica AWD	Traverse
Front Rotors	13 inches	13.8 inches	12.6 inches
Rear Rotors	13 inches	13.4 inches	12.4 inches

The Pacifica stops much shorter than the Traverse:

	Pacifica	Traverse
70 to 0 MPH	164 feet	176 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	122 feet	135 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

The Pacifica’s optional tires provide better handling because they have a lower 50 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Traverse’s optional 55 series tires.

Having a flat tire is dangerous, inconvenient and expensive. The self-sealing tires available on the Pacifica can automatically seal most punctures up to 3/16 of an inch, effectively preventing most flat tires. The Traverse doesn’t offer self-sealing tires.

Suspension and Handling

The Pacifica has standard front and rear gas-charged shocks for better control over choppy roads. The Traverse’s suspension doesn’t offer gas-charged shocks.

The Pacifica’s drift compensation steering can automatically compensate for road conditions which would cause the vehicle to drift from side to side, helping the driver to keep the vehicle straight more easily. The Traverse doesn’t offer drift compensation steering.

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Pacifica is 1.1 inches wider in the front and 1.4 inches wider in the rear than the track on the Traverse.

Passenger Space

The Pacifica has .1 inches more front legroom, .9 inches more front hip room, 1.9 inches more front shoulder room, .6 inches more rear legroom, 7.9 inches more rear hip room, .8 inches more rear shoulder room, .5 inches more third row headroom, 3 inches more third row legroom, 1 inch more third row hip room and 3.7 inches more third row shoulder room than the Traverse.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Pacifica’s middle and third row seats recline. The Traverse’s third row seats don’t recline.

Cargo Capacity

The Pacifica’s cargo area provides more volume than the Traverse.

	Pacifica	Traverse
Behind Third Seat	32.3 cubic feet	23 cubic feet
Third Seat Folded	87.5 cubic feet	57.8 cubic feet
Second Seat Folded	140.5 cubic feet	98.2 cubic feet

A low lift-over cargo hatch design makes loading and unloading the Pacifica easier. The Pacifica’s cargo hatch lift-over height is 24.3 inches, while the Traverse’s liftover is 30.6 inches.

The Pacifica has standard Stow ’n Go second and third row seats (except Hybrid for the second row), which fold flat into the floor. This completely clears a very large cargo area quickly. The Traverse doesn’t offer seats that fold into the floor.

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the Pacifica. The Traverse doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

Towing

The Pacifica’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Traverse’s (3600 vs. 1500 pounds).

Optional Trailer Sway Control on the Pacifica (except Hybrid/Touring) uses the Electronic Stability Control sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. The Traverse doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

Ergonomics

The Pacifica’s instruments include an oil pressure gauge and a temperature gauge - which could save your engine! Often ‘idiot lights’ don’t warn you until damage has been done. The Traverse does not have an oil pressure gauge.

The Pacifica Limited/Pinnacle’s front and rear power windows all open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Traverse’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open them fully. Only its driver’s window opens automatically.

The Pacifica Hybrid has a standard locking fuel and charge port door with a remote release located convenient to the driver. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank. The Traverse doesn’t offer a locking fuel door.

The Pacifica’s rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The Traverse’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

The Pacifica has a standard heated steering wheel to take the chill out of steering on extremely cold winter days before the vehicle heater warms up. A heated steering wheel costs extra on the Traverse.

The Pacifica has a standard center folding armrest for the middle row passengers. A center armrest helps make middle row passengers more comfortable and it can provide a boundary between children. The Traverse doesn’t offer a middle row seat center armrest.

The Pacifica’s optional ParkSense Park Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, with the driver only controlling speed with the brake pedal. The Traverse doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Economic Advantages

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Pacifica is less expensive to operate than the Traverse because it costs $709 less to do the manufacturer’s suggested maintenance for 50,000 miles. Typical repairs cost much less on the Pacifica than the Traverse, including $232 less for a water pump, $254 less for fuel injection, $101 less for a fuel pump, $338 less for a timing belt/chain and $120 less for a power steering pump.

Recommendations

Motor Trend performed a comparison test in its May 2018 issue and they ranked the Chrysler Pacifica Limited first. They ranked the Chevrolet Traverse RS AWD fifth.

The Pacifica was chosen as one of Car and Driver’s “Top Five/10Best Trucks” for 3 of the last 6 years. The Traverse has never been a Car and Driver “Top Five/10Best Truck” pick.